Our children need rescuing

We have some incredible young Barbadians who are excelling in music, sports, academics, culture and other arena. Perhaps we should celebrate them more and provide additional resources for their development as they are certainly doing credit to our beloved nation.

Unfortunately, there are those at the other end of the spectrum who make us hold our heads in shame and break our hearts. The report on the back page of the Sunday Sun a couple weeks ago about “girls on layaway” is one of those heartbreaking realities. How could any parent do such a wicked thing to his/her own daughter?

Given the despicable legacy we have of African chattel slavery, how can we now condemn our own children to the epitome of trafficking in children by selling our girls into the sex trade? Make no mistake, putting our girl children on “layaway” is nothing but trafficking children for the sexual pleasure of perverts and miscreants.

It would be wonderful to see the law enforcement authorities bring both the sellers and the buyers in this reprehensible trade to justice. It will not be easy to accumulate sufficient evidence to turn arrests into convictions and sentences for long periods at HMP Dodds, but I ask the Royal Barbados Police Force, the judiciary and the legal profession to help us end this scourge that seems to be taking root in our nation. Please!

And then there is the report appearing on the front page of the Weekend Nation about more than a dozen female, secondary students apparently beating a colleague into unconsciousness as others watched, including passersby on the public road. Was there no Good Samaritan among the Pharisees that passed by on the other side of the road?

The perpetrators of this heinous violence must face the legal system. They must be given due process but they must also, once found guilty, pay the necessary penalties at HMP Dodds or the Girls Industrial School. The student so badly beaten must be compensated – not just the payment of medical bills for however long is necessary but also compensation for pain and suffering, days lost at school, disfigurement and whatever else she has suffered.

But that cannot be the end of the matter. We must ask, and answer, what it is in our environment that has caused so much anger and violence in the hearts of these young, female students? Are some of them on “layaway”? Are some of them in home environments where they are sexually, physically and/or emotionally abused? What is the root of their anger and can the issues be resolved?

I am not willing that any of our youth be cast out as being beyond redemption.

The legal agencies, judiciary, Child Care Board and even Paredos must step up to punish but also to work for redemption.

Can the Church across the nation help? Yes! Please once again send us your children for spiritual and moral guidance through our children’s programmes, our Sunday Schools, our youth programmes, our Scout and Girl Guide companies in our churches and schools, Pathfinders in the Seventh day Adventist Churches and AWANA in its infancy in several denominations.

Get your children involved at school in Inter-School Christian Fellowship, Drug Education Counselling Service, Ammar Empowerment and the Pure Sex Network. These are resources we’re making available to help guide our children and volunteers serve, sometimes at great personal sacrifice, to guide our youth away from these destructive behaviours.

Please let us help your children before it is too late.

Source: Bishop Gerry Seale

25 Responses to Our children need rescuing

Our children need rescuing, ( from who ) but when it comes to our children, the people who should be trusted with them no chance, the people who should make the laws to support and protect them , no chance , the people who suppose to enforce the said laws no change……….. We all must be guardians for our/the children, if they are black, brown ,green or white day or night, no matter who they belong to we all owe them that right………………………

Barbados since independence–a country without-implemented laws to protect the welfare of its citizens– from Africa to the Caribbean black corrupt politicians inflaming the society with sadistic thoughts — creating fear crime- sexual abuse- hence society would become loyal to them- sometimes I have to ask how big is Barbados? That’s why we need to take back our country from corrupt politicians — to establish better education development– hospitals — roads– etc etc applied civil laws to guide the locals to a prosperous life– Out with Blp– DLP– bloody criminals without mercy

My My .. . Her hand want breaking for pulling that girl and also involving with the others to attacking the young lady , shameless uncoff set of school children , you as a parent send your child to school to get an Education and look what you have to deal with I hope her mother goes all out to be compensated for the damages inflicted on her !! O how sad !! I am praying you Madame , that God will give you health and strength to take care of your daughter , please don’t leave a stone undone , do what you have to do . God bless you all.

Hey !! How dear say I am no better than those girls , where are your common sense lies , I said it , and I made no apologies in saying so , put you in that child position you might have said the same thing or worse , its a matter if opinion . No it’s not shame on me , well as soon as some parents take matters in their own hands , you will know if what I said was incorrect . Suppose that young lady had die at the hands of those students .I wonder what you would say then . Another thing I have 4 children , all come of age now , and they are decent and respectable children so far !! Thank God for that I am boasting or think they are different to anybody children , because we do make mistakes of some kind but I know for sure , I am a proud and happy mother of bringing them into this world .. To God Be The Glory .

Our parents need rescuing also.I think that parents should have to receive some sort of compulsory parenting skills from an appropriate institution. This should be done in parts and the first part should be completed before the children starts nursery school.This would be verified by a completion certificate and should be mandatory before the child is accepted in school at age 3 plus. The training should then be done in further stages while they are at primary school and the required number of hours or courses should be completed before the child does the common entrance exam.It should be treated the same way as the vaccinations that they are supposed to receive by a certain age.

I think you have this wrong rescuing huh you take a child that is being raised with mother and father are just a mother or just a father and that child is being disciplined in the house I would not say that sometimes he or she would not stray but it would not be like this I live in New York my two oldest grandchildren are being raised up in beautiful Barbados the oldest a boy is going to be 16 in December the youngest beautiful little girl she is six when I tell you manners I could take or send them to Buckingham Palace so I don’t believe in this rescuing them if my son and my daughter-in-law could do it others could do it too stop trying to be a friend.AND START BEING A PARENT!

Children getting children and cannot bring them up in the fear of the Lord. Most of them never went near a Sunday School or Church. They see their parents going to “bashment fetes wearing the skimpiest clothes with multiple men visiting their homes. SO WHAT DO WE EXPECT ? Teachers in the school system have a horrid time even talking with them. The horses are out of the stable and the doors are locked tight.

@Mikey – On the contrary. I would bet a lot of them go to church on Sunday. The church is part of this problem. They teach absolutely nothing which is written in that bible. There is a problem of IDENTITY.

We did this to them. Reread Frankenstein and the making of monsters. I met some of the ones that have maintained my hope. Traced back to their parents you see the discipline love and care. Ignore at our peril. A shredded society is what Barbados has permitted at an unwise 50 years. Of course other countries esp. those ‘developed’ ones face issues with their young but it doesn’t mean we follow. As sponges we soaked it up and did not even care about our own. They have felt it and are very angry. No matter – we glitter we our fancy hotels and gloriious nails and weave. Our children will show us our sins. Nuff said. Time to save them!

We are wasting our precious time. Parliament is made up defense lawyers who represent perpetrators today and victims tomorrow. It is all about money. Teachers are afraid to punish children in any form or fashion because they don’t want to be hauled before the law courts by defense lawyers. What do you expect?

Great article. The message needs to get out that our children must be responsible for their actions but also that redemption is possible. Prevention is key and all hands must be on deck to secure the safety and sobriety of our youth.

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